TB Treatment: Out-Patient Unit To Be Opened

The stake driving ceremony for the construction of a new Tuberculosis Out-Patient Department (TB-OPD) was held in Yangon, Saturday.  

The Three Millennium Development Goal Fund (3MDG) is going to support infrastructure in the fight against TB in Myanmar, through an outpatient department building and Reference Lab and Patient-Caregiver Quarter in Yangon and Mandalay. 

The Yangon Regional TB outpatient department (TB-OPD)-4-storey building aims to provide diagnosis and treatment for patients with TB.  

Senior Public Health Officer, 3MDG, Aye Yu Soe: As the support for infrastructure for the development of health sector is important, we, 3MDG will invest $3.1 million for constructing the four buildings. So, the construction will feature a laboratory, medical storage and dispensary and x-ray, counseling, consultation and emergency rooms and then we will also arrange the restrooms, entry points and parking areas accessible for people with disabilities. 

There are approximately 150,000 TB patients detected annually in Myanmar, which is one of the world’s 30 TB high-burden countries. About 20% of the patients are from Yangon so the buildings to provide better treatment are important for the reduction of TB patients in the country. 

TB Specialist, Yangon Region, Dr. Zaw Myint: Currently, we have difficulties due to the insufficient building in this outpatient department and we receive over 70-100 TB patients and 50-70 patients are MDR-TB patients every day. So, we believe that there would be easy access to get the treatment with new facilities for the patients after the four-storey building is constructed and then that will be help the fight against TB in Myanmar.  

The officials hope to finish the 4-storey building for the TB patients in 2018.